Posted results

VINNY JONES

shelter

My walking route finally takes me to the heart of the old town, where the heavy orange glow of the street lighting floods the crowded square. This warmth and a surprising lack of commercial lighting seek to maintain an atmosphere of traditional authenticity in the square. After a while my attention is drawn to a line of low lamps behind the closed food stalls. Here I find a secret square. It is empty apart from one homeless man busily reorganising his possessions. There is a grid of trees, bordered by two lines of oddly low street lighting. These serve to demarcate the area from the tables of the adjoining, now-closed cafes. But they provide relatively little light, creating a dark, secluded space just metres from the lit crowds in the main square. Sitting for a while the space is visited by street cleaners on their break, several more street people, a quiet couple, two security guards and a group of teenagers looking for some privacy. One of the security guard immediately moves the teenagers on. Here the absence of light has created a hidden place that attracts unwanted people and creates a space for the kind of activities the security guard is there to prevent.